The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story

I read this book probably 8 years ago - it is an absolutely, positively fascinating read. Few nonfiction books can send the chills down the spine like this little gem Preston has penned. Simply fabulous.

I was truly *terrified* reading this book. I was literally sick to my stomach reading about the unfortunate infected people, particularly Charles Monet. The young soldiers enlisted to clean out the monkeys from the building was particularly harrowing, as was Nancy Jaax's near contamination incident.

Yes, it's sensationalistic and the gruesome details are over-the-top. But I couldn't put the book down. I found it engrossing and entertaining, although I was somewhat nauseous most of the time reading it.

The Hot Zone is a superbly-written story describing the history of Ebola and the near-miss that could have triggered a pandemic that rivals the spread of HIV. Richard Preston breathes life into this story and his depictions of Ebola's travels through Africa and eventually into the United States will keep readers on the edge of their seat. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. A word of warning: this is not a book to read if you have so much as a sniffle.

I purchased this book over a decade ago. I was so taken by it that I made this deal to my friends. "Buy it and read the first 10 pages. If you don't like it, I'll buy it back from you. No questions asked!"

I haven't had to purchase a single copy! I won't even loan mine out!

A very satisfying read. This terrifying true story is a middle school science teacher's dream book.